How money doesn't buy happiness: parents, the elderly and those living in the Outer Hebrides revealed as the most content people in the UK

People living in remote areas, pensioners and parents are among the happiest people in the country, data analysis by a think-tank has revealed.

The Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland were found to be some of the places where people are the happiest – with no large city featuring in the top ten.

Conversely those based in London, Edinburgh, Luton, Reading and Slough were found to be among those with the lowest well-being ratings in the UK.

Happiness is... life in a Hamlet?: People living in the Outer Hebrides (left - pictured Luskentyre Bay in South Harris) were found to be much more content than those living in Slough (right)

The figures seem to verify that money is not the be-all-and-end-all to happiness as the wealthiest parts of the country do not appear to be those with the highest level of well-being.

The majority of the UK’s wealth is based around London and the south east, according to figures from Barclays Wealth. In 2010 this region accounted for 46 per cent of the UK’s millionaire population. Conversely six of the ten lowest scoring regions for well-being were found in the south east.

Instead the happiest parts of the country appeared to be those that were most remote, rather than the wealthiest.

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) examined a survey of 160,000 people in the ONS Annual Population Survey. Participants were asked the following four questions:

1. Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?2. Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?3. Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?4. Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?

Graphics: These maps show the percentage of inhabitants scoring well on four happiness measures and badly on at least one measure across Britain

The NEF then divided up responses according to gender, geographical location, ethnicity and types of work to reveal clear trends.

The analysis found women were generally more content than men and felt what they did was worthwhile, but appeared to experience more anxiety.

Older and retired people also showed greater contentment than most, while those between 40 and 59 seemed to experience something of a mid-life crisis, experiencing the lowest quality of living.

Parents tended to be happier than those without children, as were married people and those living with a partner.

Those with disabilities were found to be less content, happy, more anxious and feel their activities were less worthwhile than those without.

The analysis also revealed the well-being of White people was significantly higher than Arab, Bangladeshi, Black, Indian and Pakistani people.

Work also had a significant influence over well-being. Those in employment had higher levels of wellbeing than those out of work, public sector workers higher than private sector, permanent contracts higher than temporary and local government higher than central government.

The analysis comes as the Government prepares to publish the first set of figures designed to offer an insight into quality of life in Britain.

Table showing well-being according to age group and level of disparity of well-being in different age groups (Source: NEF)

Prime Minister David Cameron launched the Measuring National Wellbeing programme in November 2010 after deciding that the Government needed to be informed not only on economic progress but also on public wellbeing.

This will be measured alongside gross domestic product as a means of determining whether Government policies are making Britain a better place to live.

He said the country ‘would be better off if we thought about wellbeing as well as economic growth’, adding that GDP was too ‘crude’ a measure of progress as it failed to take into account wider social factors.

Saamah Abdallah, senior researcher at the New Economics Foundation, said: ‘When it comes to retirement, Britain is doing something right.

‘The high levels of wellbeing reported by the over-60s are not a global phenomenon, in many countries older age groups have the lowest wellbeing.

‘But there are also high levels of inequality in wellbeing amongst the elderly in the UK.

‘Of particular concern to policy makers are the low levels of wellbeing most disabled people report. It suggests a need for further research and intervention.’